Gary Peters: “as we near the 1-year anniversary of the coronavirus pandemic ripping our country, there is no question that…”

“as we near the 1-year anniversary of the coronavirus pandemic ripping our country, there is no question that Michiganders and people all across our country are still hurting. While we are making important progress in the fight to combat this virus, this public health and economic crisis continues to take a significant toll on families, workers who are out of a job, educators, students, small businesses, hospitals, and communities all across our country. We passed targeted, temporary relief in December, but we knew at that time that that was not going to be enough. We need more robust, meaningful relief. We must act quickly to meet the urgency of this moment by swiftly passing the American Rescue Plan. This is about relief for Michiganders and Americans who are reeling and are trying to make ends meet, funding to help schools safely reopen, sources to speed up vaccine distribution, and support for small businesses fighting to stay afloat. I continue to hear from Michiganders from all across the State who are struggling to put food on the table, pay their rent, and keep the lights on. These folks are not asking for a handout; they simply want a lifeline to get to the other side of the pandemic. When we passed $600 relief checks in December, I pledged that we must do more and that we could do that by providing people with an additional $1,400 to fulfill the promise of $2,000 in relief funds.…”